Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Pork Ribs

We are so lucky to have so many local farming resources in our area. Lola farms in particular, takes pride in raising their animals in a natural environment without GMO’s, antiobiotics or growth enhancement drugs. So when the owner of Lola Farms approached me about using some of her pork for a post on the blog, I agreed without any hesitiation.  She handed me over some bacon, pork butt and ribs from her Meishan/Old Spot cross pigs and I instantly got energized to start creating some recipes. I think she was just as enthused once she saw my reaction.

I asked my boys which meat we should make this Sunday and they unanimously chose ribs. Ribs it is! I created a recipe that I would quickly choose if I saw it on a restaurant menu. Every word in the description sounds delicious, but all together it sounds amazing! Blackberry Bourbon BBQ Ribs, Click on link attached to view the recipe. Are you salivating yet?!

I started prepping the ribs for its juice bath by applying my special dry rub mix all over the meat.

After adding the juice and wrapping it in foil, I cooked it for several hours in the oven on a low temperature. The juice steams the meat, which tenderizes it and allows it to fall right off the bone.

While the ribs were cooking, I made the sauce. It was fairly simple. Throw all the ingredients in a pot, simmer for a few minutes to get the flavors to merry, puree and strain. It had a beautiful purplish-red color to it and a nice thick texture that will glaze on any meat just perfectly. After I strained it, I realized that it needed more bourbon flavor, so I added an extra shot at the end. It was exactly what it needed.

Once the ribs were cooked, I brushed on the bbq sauce and broiled it in the oven. You could have also grilled it and gotten the same outcome with a more charbroiled taste. My boys could smell the ribs from the other room, and as soon as I opened the oven door, they started asking when dinner was ready. I knew that delicious smell had traveled to wherever they were in the house. Once it came out of the oven, that beautiful glaze was glistening! I mean, really shiny.

We were practically all running to the dinner table. I’ve never seen the boys set the table so fast, however, they lost focus once I put the platters of food in front of them. I served it with sautéed garlic-herb asparagus and a glass of premium bourbon for the adults. The crust on the ribs were sticky, sweet and tangy. I could really taste the blackberries and it paired exceptionally well with the pork. The meat had a more concentrated pork flavor that was absolutely delicious! I would highly recommend purchasing meat from Lola Farms. You can really tell that they have a high quality product. I’m really looking forward to working with that bacon and pork butt.

I think the boys might have finished their dinner in record time tonight. They even asked for seconds. I knew I hit a home run when all we had left were bones.